Trichophyton is a filamentous fungus which grows as hyphae in and on host tissues. The fungus is acquired by contact with material such as shed skin scales contaminated with Trichophyton hyphae and hyphal elements. The Trichophyton hyphae produce keratinases which enable them to use keratin as a nutrient source. Trichophyton colonizes the keratinized stratum corneum of the skin presenting a chronic source of continued infection. Although direct invasion of living tissue is rare, the presence of the Trichophyton fungus induces inflammatory responses in the surrounding tissue. Disease conditions caused by Trichophyton include infections of the skin (e.g., tinea pedis [athletes foot] and tinea corporis [ringworm]), of the nails, and nail bed (tinea unguium or onychomycosis). Fungal infection of the nails and nail bed is of particular concern, because fungi can penetrate deep into the nail plate, nail bed, and nail matrix causing long term, chronic infections that are difficult to treat.
Current treatments for fungal pathogens include clotrimazole, econazole, ketoconazole, miconazole, tioconazole, fluconazole, posaconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, isavuconazonium, terbinafine, nystatin, amorolfine, griseofulvin, caspofungin, micafungin, anidulafungin, tevaborole, efinaconazole, amphotericin B deoxycholate and liposomal amphotericin B, and are typically provided topically, orally, or intravenously. Side-effects include liver damage, allergic reactions, and hormonal effects. In particular, triazole-based drugs have significant host side-effects such as reversible increases in hepatic enzymes, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, constipation, dyspepsia, allergic reactions such as pruritus, rash, urticarial, angioedema, and hepatitis after prolonged use.
AR-12 (a.k.a. OSU-03012) has been previously shown to exhibit anti-tumor, antifungal, and anti-bacterial activity. It is thought that AR-12 induces autophagy of cells harboring intracellular microbes.